RANDALL BRAMBLETT"THIN PLACES"
(New West, 2004)
"You Can Be The Rain"
Randall Bramblett has been making music for over 30 years, having worked with artists such as Gregg Allman and Steve Winwood, and in many genres of music ranging from jazz to R&B to rock. His gravelly delivery and rustically poetic phrasing will compel some people to classify him as country upon first listen (as did I), but before too long it becomes clear that Bramblett is not an artist who can be pigeonholed quickly. This album's overall mood does lean a bit toard the "country-rock" or "roots-rock" category, but to my surprise I ended up liking it a lot more than most any other album from that sub-genre that I'd tried before.
The bluesy swagger of "Black Coat" and the lightly twangy shuffle of "Playing Card" should be enough to win over most open-minded listeners, but the absolute standout is the sweeping opus "Are You Satisfied", which is guaranteed to give you goosebumps. However, I don't want to spoil it for you; instead, I'll give you my second favorite from the album, which is an equally gorgeous ballad that conveys Bramblett's style quite well. This album has grown on me so much that I'm compelled to go looking for his other recent works which, according to reviews, are just as good.
